REGIONAL—More hunters in northeastern Minnesota will be limited to bucks-only this year than at any time in the past several years. Last winter’s tough conditions, with extended deep and dense snow cover, took a toll on the deer herd in much of the region and that’s translating into fewer antlerless permits virtually across the board.
Deer licenses for this fall’s hunt are now for sale through licensed vendors or online through the DNR. Hunters hoping to receive an antlerless permit will need to purchase their license by Thursday, Sept. 7 in order to be entered in the lottery.
Hunters in much of northern St. Louis and Lake counties won’t need to apply, since they’ll be limited to bucks-only during the 2023 regular firearms deer season. That includes hunters in Permit Areas 119, 118, 130, and 132.
While other permit areas in the region will offer at least a few antlerless tags for this fall’s hunt, the numbers will be down significantly from prior years. In PA 177, which extends from the Lake Vermilion area to west of Cook, the DNR will issue just 400 antlerless tags, half the number it issued last year. In PA 176, located in central St. Louis County, the DNR is issuing just 25 antlerless permits, a small fraction of the 150 it issued in the zone in 2022. In northwestern St. Louis County, PA 109 will offer 25 antlerless tags, the same number as last year.
PA 117, which lies within the borders of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, will allow hunters to take a deer of either sex, but that’s a reflection of the tiny number of hunters who actually hunt in the wilderness, rather than the deer population.
“Hunters in most of Minnesota can expect a season similar to last year in terms of how many deer they can harvest,” said Barb Keller, DNR big game program leader. “The lower bag limits in northeast and north-central Minnesota aim to allow deer populations to recover after back-to-back severe winters. Deer are resilient and we are hopeful deer populations there will gradually recover along with lower harvests, especially if we get some mild winters.”
Deer season dates for 2023
Archery: Saturday, Sept. 16, through Sunday, Dec. 31
Youth and early antlerless: Thursday, Oct. 19, through Sunday, Oct. 22
Regular firearms in Zone 100 (NE MN): Saturday, Nov. 4 through Sunday, Nov. 19.
Muzzleloader: Saturday, Nov. 25, through Sunday, Dec. 10